A 5.0-magnitute earthquake has struck near the east coast of Honshu in Japan not far from the infamous Fukushima nuclear plant.

The tremor hit some 18 kilometers southeast of the city of
Hitachi and 125 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, at a depth of
about 50 kilometers. The epicenter is some 150 kilometers from
the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or destruction.

The crisis continues at Fukushima plant after it suffered triple
nuclear meltdowns and hydrogen explosions since it was hit by an
earthquake, followed by a tsunami, in March 2011.

Three reactor cores at the plant melted down in the catastrophe
and need to be cooled constantly to avoid possible escalation.

Fukushima operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has
been unable to prevent regular leaks of highly radioactive water
from cooling tanks into the Pacific Ocean, raising international
concerns.

On Wednesday, the radiation at the crippled facility reached
1,200 becquerels per liter, which is the highest indication
recorded since late 2011.

The International Atomic Energy Agency announced that it’ll
monitor the radiation levels in the nearby ocean urged Japan to
share its data on Fukushima radiation levels.

Previously, Japan kept the international community in the dark on
the situation at the disaster-hit nuclear facility, only
acknowledging contaminated water leaks in July.